Wisdom from the Heart ~ Page 1

“What a person truly believes isn’t what they think or say, it’s what they do.” ~ Queenie in Lark Rise to Candleford

And as Mark Twain﻿ said, “Action speaks louder than words but not nearly as often.”Suffering is the result of resistance; so much better to simply embrace people, things, feelings... as they are. Intolerance is a habit we’ve been taught, but it can be unlearned. Changing habits requires conscious practice.

Recommended article:Risk Taking Is the Way to Get What You Want ~ by Dr. Alan Zimmerman
Think about it. Everything you really, Really, REALLY want requires risk. There are no exceptions. Whether it’s a healthier body, a bigger income, a better career, or a stronger marriage, you can’t get any of those things by just hoping they’ll happen. You have to do something.

“When you judge you project your shadows onto others, when you love you project your light.” ~ by Aine Belton

Suffering is the result of resistance; so much better to simply embrace people, things, feelings... as they are. Intolerance is a habit we’ve been taught, but it can be unlearned. Changing habits requires conscious practice.

Recommended article:Light In The Darkness ~ by Aine Belton
Relationships of any kind help you face parts of your ‘shadow’ – buried parts that may otherwise remain hidden and unconscious, light or dark. You may project these parts on to other people, or attract people that act out these subconscious selves; aspects that are coming up for acknowledgement or healing at any given time in your life.

“Everything can be taken away from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms - to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” ~ by Viktor Frankl

We can always choose to respond rather than to react, to be mindful of our loving nature rather than fearful, sad, angry or envious.

“This life is what you make it. No matter what, you’re going to mess up sometimes, it’s a universal truth. But the good part is you get to decide how you’re going to mess it up. Girls will be your friends - they’ll act like it anyway. But just remember, some come, some go. The ones that stay with you through everything - they’re your true best friends. Don’t let go of them.

“Also remember, sisters make the best friends in the world. As for lovers, well, they’ll come and go too. And baby, I hate to say it, most of them - actually pretty much all of them are going to break your heart, but you can’t give up because if you give up, you’ll never find your soulmate. You’ll never find that half who makes you whole and that goes for everything. Just because you fail once, doesn’t mean you’re gonna fail at everything.

“Keep trying, hold on, and always, always, always believe in yourself, because if you don’t, then who will, sweetie? So keep your head high, keep your chin up, and most importantly, keep smiling, because life’s a beautiful thing and there’s so much to smile about.”~ by Marilyn Monroe

Heartbreak and loving embrace. We need both in that strange way that brings us to this world. And who would miss the experience!

“Climb mountains not so the world can see you, but so you can see the world.” ~ by David McCullough Jr.

Do things that fulfill you, not because its what you think you should do, or to impress others.

Recommended article:Lower the Pressure ~ by Rick Hanson
You can give yourself over to wholesome aspirations, letting them carry you along with resolve and passion, staying true to your own North Star without straining and stressing along the way. You can be prudent, love others, rise in your chosen work, and nurture our planet without feeling like there’s a stick at your back.

“Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.” ~ by George Bernard Shaw

I’d say it’s both. We’re well hidden under our conditioning, but we still have all our potential to fulfill.

Recommended article:Electing to Live Now ~ by Gabriella Kortsch, Ph.D.
The other day I caught myself thinking about my next vacation. For several seconds I was counting the weeks - until I realized what I was doing... I was in the process of in some fashion discounting or throwing away the intervening weeks between now and then because of how much I was looking forward to that vacation time. So you could say that I was discarding - as though it were rubbish - a bit of my life.

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” ~ by Nelson Mandela

As Yeats said, “Education is not filling a bucket, but lighting a fire.” By the time we leave school we should in particular have learned just how much we don’t know, and be inspired with a lifelong desire to know it.

Recommended article:Training and Education Lead to Prosperity ~ by Dr. Alan Zimmerman
To all those people and organizations who want to cut back on their education and motivation, you would be well advised to listen to the words of the great philosopher Aristotle. Even though he penned these words more than 2000 years ago, they still ring true today. He said, “The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.” In other words, it may cost you some time and money to keep on learning, but the results are always worth it.

“Where’s the joy in good fortune if you don’t share it?” ~ by Queenie in Lark Rise Over Candleford

Queenie is going to share meat from the huge pig she won at the fair with the whole village. What greater pleasure is there than sharing? Surely that’s truly being alive.

Recommended article:Share the Wealth ~ by Stephanie Marston
Caring is instinctive. A child is lost, we help her find her parents, someone trips, we reflexively reach out to break his fall. A co-worker’s car won’t start, we offer her a ride home. It’s a natural part of being human. We live, therefore we help. Helping occurs because the obstacles that separate us drop away, and we are in essence caring for ourselves.

Acceptance of what exists doesn’t mean you necessarily like or agree with it. You’re simply confronting reality without defenses, no need for resistance and avoidance. You get a truer picture that way. You can see what you can do effectively for the better, or what isn’t within your control. And you remain peaceful.

Recommended article:Resistance to What-Is is a Prison Without Bars ~ by Joyce Shafer
Resistance, especially sustained resistance, is a prison without bars. Resistance keeps us from seeing the truth about what we are truly capable of, what our true strengths are, and how creative and supportive we can actually be. It causes us to forget we are co-creators, that we are compassionate, that we are never alone.

“Beliefs separate. Loving thoughts unite.” ~ by Paul Ferrini

Our ego’s personality defenses focus on how we are separate from others, but when we experience how we are unified, we are connecting through our spiritual senses.

Recommended article:The Trap of Self-Importance ~ by Joyce Shafer
Walk your path in reverence for humanity and life. No one's journey is easy or free of fears, no matter what it looks like on the surface. It's remarkable and lovely to feel the humbleness of making a real difference, large or small, versus a "See! I'm-special!" trap of the frightened ego-aspect. Ask yourself often what it is you want to contribute while you're here, what you want your personal legacy to be, even if it's a silent, less-obvious one.

"There's no beauty that you could perceive or create if it were not already within you." ~ by Peter Shepherd

It's your reflection in the mirror of life.

Recommended article:Heaven on Earth ~ by Harold W. Becker
There is a paradigm shift underway upon the earth and in its wake we shall know a new reality. The days of discord and negative expression are rapidly dissolving despite the appearance otherwise. In their place, we are coming to know and experience a love of such unbelievable magnitude as to scarcely recognize the old ways of living through fear and doubt. The polarization of negative and positive forces, and their respective expressions, are blending and balancing into a new awareness of unconditional love.

"Loving yourself allows you to connect to your own inner divinity and to know you will never again be alone." ~ by Gabriella Kortsch

Learning to love yourself is a crucial step in spiritual growth. If, as a result, you feel a lot of love inside you then you have more to share; in fact it becomes a bottomless well.

Recommended book:The Power of Your Heart: Loving the Self ~ book by Gabriella Kortsch
Learning to love yourself is much easier said than done and the difference with this book is that Gabriella does not just paint a picture of how things could be, she provides many practical ways we can learn these skills. In particular, it's a matter of asking yourself the right questions, and indeed, the most illuminating questions are presented here. Answering them honestly will take you a very long way.

"In the midst of hate, I found there was, within me, an invincible love. In the midst of tears, I found there was, within me, an invincible smile. In the midst of chaos, I found there was, within me, an invincible calm. In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer. And that makes me happy. For it says that no matter how hard the world pushes against me, within me, there's something stronger – something better, pushing right back." ~ by Albert Camus

So an existentialist atheist can be spiritual too. Camus had an intense interest in the active human psyche, in the life of conscience or spirit as it is actually experienced and lived, and a personal commitment to such values as individualism, free choice and personal responsibility. Reminds me of my dear father, atheist to the grave and as warm-hearted as a person can be.

Accompanying article:Beyond the Light and the Dark ~ by Kenneth J. MacLean
All physical universes are virtual realities, even though when you are IN them they appear to be the ONLY reality. We are getting closer and closer with our virtual gaming to this idea, but it is still a way off. The next step is to actually send your consciousness into that reality. That is precisely what you do when we incarnate into a physical body.

"We are living in a sea of energy." ~ by Ralph Ring

Indeed, which ranges from the most coarse to the most subtle, unrecognized by orthodox science. Though the source of energy isn't energy at all, it's the zero-point, the creative stillness that is our consciousness.

Accompanying video:Anti-Gravity and Conscious Awareness in Aether Technology ~ Ralph Ring
In this fascinating video, you will not only hear evidence of 'free' energy technology, but also a man talking of his direct experience of how consciousness works, along with tangible evidence of how our world is controlled from behind the scenes by powerful banking interests (learn more at Richard Presser's site) who work hard and ruthlessly to keep the current diminished paradigm in place. A truly wonderful and uplifting story. You can find Ralph's website at BlueStarEnterprise.com. The work that Ralph has been involved with parallels much of the work of Keshe Foundation.

"Vision without action is a daydream; action without vision is a nightmare." ~ Japanese proverb

You've got to know where you're going, and move from the starting blocks. That's a motivated way of being, much more than intellect - it's body, mind and spirit combined. Vision with action can change the world.

Accompanying article:Technocracy Is Failed Mind Control ~ by Jon Rappoport
Technocracy is the latest piece of insanity derived from the notion that you can have everything you want handed to you on a silver platter. I have news. At bottom, people don't want that silver platter. They want the fruits of their own efforts. They want the joy that comes from those efforts and freely made choices.

“We’re so engaged in doing things to achieve purposes of outer value that we forget that the inner value, the rapture that is associated with being alive, is what it’s all about.” ~ Joseph Campbell

The sages all say that the path to liberation is found in entering the stillness within. As Doug King said, “Learn to pause... or nothing worthwhile will catch up to you.”

Accompanying article:What’s Your Sense of Peace? ~ by Rick Hanson, Ph.D.
I think there are four kinds of peace, and I’ll point out where each might be found. The first two kinds are pretty straightforward, while the third and fourth take a person into the deep end of the pool. It’s helped me to notice, appreciate and practice each of these. It’s OK to focus on just one for a while; any peace is better than none!

“There’s a difference between knowing the path and walking the path.” ~ Morpheus

Their spiritual path for many people is a book on the shelf; don’t let that be you. Application is required and it begins at home... Before we can contribute, through our consciousness, toward peace in the world we need to make peace with ourselves. Before we can love others unconditionally we need to be able to genuinely love ourselves. Before we can forgive and cease making judgments of others we need to learn how to forgive ourselves and warmly accept ourselves just as we are.

Accompanying article:Freedom to Change ~ by Peter Shepherd
If there’s one thing guaranteed in our lives it is that change will be upon us, sooner or later; usually sooner. If we are open to change, and are willing to learn whatever is necessary to predict and adapt to it, we can even become its master and control its direction. Self-directed learning is therefore key to mastery over life and to the creation of the life that we want.

“Quality questions create a quality life. Successful people ask better questions, and as a result, they get better answers.” ~ Anthony Robbins

Accompanying article:My Transformational Moment ~ by Peter Shepherd
We need to look for ways to break out, to broaden our responsibilities, to acquire the resources that enable us to meet the challenges of life head-on, to survive/be accepted/find ourselves in this broader domain. This is the path of our development, toward actualizing our potential and moving beyond even that to be of loving service... so it is an act of love, not an act of selfish ego.

“When we choose not to focus on what is missing from our lives but are grateful for the abundance that is present... we experience heaven on earth.” ~ Sarah Breathnach

It is impossible to feel grateful and depressed in the same moment. Make your day - do the gratitude exercise at Love is All You Need...

“We accept many notions because they seem to be the logical answers to our questions. But have we asked the right questions?” ~ Harold L. Klawans

If a question is based on a false assumption and we haven’t spotted that, we can be led up the garden path.

Accompanying article:The Call of the Wild ~ by Peter Shepherd
As long as we are depending on safe solutions, prejudiced judgments and fixed ideas, our mind is closed to inspecting anew, to discovering our own truth. Those mental structures affect the way that we feel and act, and filter our perception so that we are unlikely to notice the message of nature and we are likely to distort the meaning of the song in our heart.

“When a concept has been understood intellectually, if the learning is to be of value then a connection with personal feelings, inner knowing and experience has to be made, and consideration of how the information would best be applied.” ~ Peter Shepherd

Head and heart, body and soul... each have their role.

Accompanying article:Making Things Happen ~ by Peter Shepherd
I believe in a multi-domain approach. We are not just one with God; nor just angelic beings; nor just a witnessing consciousness; nor just a creative mind; nor just a scheming ego; nor just a social being struggling to survive; nor just a lover, parent or friend; nor just a creature programmed by genes; nor just one with the super energies of the planet and the Universe. We are all of these things at the same time. A unified field.

“Our life is our prayer. It’s our gift to the universe, and the memories we leave behind when we someday exit this world will be our legacy to our loved ones. The best thing we can do for ourselves and everyone around us is to find our joy and share it!” ~ Anita Moorjani

Anita also said, “You are just pure essence, pure love. When you can see somebody for their essence and not for their layers and layers of conditioning... that is love!”

Accompanying article:Love Yourself Before All the Rest ~ by Anita Moorjani ~ by Philip Humbert
Many of us are taught from a young age to “love our neighbors as we love ourselves.” But what if we don’t love ourselves? What if we are our own worst enemy, and our own harshest critic? If we treat others as we treat ourselves, then are we judging everyone else with the same harsh brush that we are using to paint ourselves? Is this why there are more people on our planet obsessed with trying to condemn anyone who is different, instead of learning to embrace everyone who shares our earth, and rejoice in our differences?

“Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else’s opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation.” ~ Oscar Wilde

That’s rather cynical since we’re social beings, we’re connected, and we learn from each other, that’s what makes civilization possible. But he has a point... we can find the right balance and recognize our uniqueness, our inner voice and truth, and create our own life.

Accompanying article:Success Means Being Different ~ by Philip Humbert
One of the great paradoxes of life is that being normal or even reasonable usually means settling for average, ordinary results, while success requires that we step outside our normal routines, dare to be different and often, uncomfortable. Highly successful people are, by definition, unusual people!

“There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.” ~ William Shakespeare, Hamlet

Something simply IS, it exists. We can either accept that and possibly (if it is our choice to make) decide to change it for the better ... or we may resist that it exists and consider it bad. The first approach is serene and creative; the judgmental perspective means to suffer, to be a victim.

Or as Joseph Campbell says, “Life has no meaning. Each of us has meaning and we bring it to life. It is a waste to be asking the question when you are the answer.”

Accompanying article:Feeling That You’re Not Good Enough ~ by Dr. Linda Sapadin
The belief that you are “Not Good Enough” is born of the story you tell yourself. Tell yourself a different story and you start meandering down a different road. Believe the new story and you live in a new world.

“Most people are like a falling leaf that drifts and turns in the air, flutters, and falls to the ground. But a few others are like stars which travel one defined path: no wind reaches them, they have within themselves their guide and path.” ~ Hermann Hesse

Quite nice being a falling leaf... but even better being a star! Nothing like working toward a goal that fulfills one’s life purpose.

Accompanying article:Words That Can Change Your Life ~ by Ken Wert
The words we use say a lot about us. They suggest sloppiness and laziness or precision and order. They underscore what’s important to us. Are there words that mean something special to you? What words excite you? What words do you aim at incorporating into your life? What words guide you?

“Every human has four endowments - self awareness, conscience, independent will and creative imagination. These give us the ultimate human freedom... The power to choose, to respond, to change.” ~ Stephen R. Covey

When we set an intention to change and grow, we begin a journey in which we move from coping, to learning, and finally to the mastery of living.

Accompanying article:The Choices In Your Life ~ by Deepak Chopra
You can align yourself with any possibility that comes your way, trusting that win-win is the attitude that life itself has been taking for billions of years. Evolution is win-win, which we can say not out of blind optimism but by referring back to the body. Anything happening inside a cell is either part of its healthy operation or a sign that a correction should take place.

Worrying gets you into a bundle, but when you start doing something constructive, the energy flows and the situation looks better already.

Accompanying article:Trouble and Triumph ~ by Philip Humbert
The real test in terms of life success is how we deal with the little things that are easy to ignore. Things like living within our means. Things like managing our weight and staying fit. Things like time for loved ones, time for rest and for renewal. These things are not dramatic and they are not urgent. We can delay taking time for our kids. We can neglect our health for a long time before obvious problems occur.

“It is not enough to know what you want, you must also know why you want it, and what you will do once you have it! All those elements impact the world around you and therefore must be considered.” ~ Kathleen McGowan

Consciously or subconsciously, we hold ourselves to account. You cannot manifest something that is not in the best interest of the world around you. That would not be honoring your place as a member of the human family. God’s family. Yes, we may ask, but we receive as a reward for living in harmony.

Accompanying article:Anger ~ by Kathleen McGowan
How, exactly, are those of us who are trying to embrace a philosophy of love able to deal with our anger over the injustices that drive us to the brink? We all wrestle with our anger over the issues in our own lives as well as out there in the world. How do we keep that anger from bubbling over? (An excerpt from The Source of Miracles.)

“Fear and faith cannot exist in the same space at the same time. Choose one.” ~ Jesus from the Gospel of Philip

Acceptance, felt in the heart, is the antidote to fear. It is the starting point, a peaceful state of being, and then you are free to have genuine faith... a certainty empowered by love and gratitude.

Accompanying article:Your Default Setting - Head or Heart? ~ by Eoin McCabe
In the words of Einstein, “We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.” The head is and should be the servant to the heart. Putting the heart centre stage in our life means we are back fully in our power. We are taking full responsibility for who we are in this life and by following our heart we are becoming all that we were meant to be.

“The time returns. We are the very people that we have been waiting for, and we always have been. We are the second coming.” ~ Jesus from the Gospel of Philip

The second coming is not the physical return of Jesus, it is the return of his message and his teachings through a global effort of love and service. Sarah-Tammar, the daughter of Jesus and Mary Magdalene, prophesied in the Libro Rosso (which became the bible of the Cathars)...

The truth is eternal
Just as the Love is eternal.
That all men and women of good heart
Will know and live the truth
And become fully realized beings
While here in their bodies
On earth as it is in heaven.
This is why the time returns.
For those with ears to hear, let them hear it.

Accompanying article:How to Be Free from Right and Wrong ~ by Jafree Ozwald
The only way to discover this place of freedom is to look deeper within. Go beyond the mind and our programming around what is “right and wrong” and simply look at what is at the source of here and now. To go inside of ones Self means to drop the outer world completely, and discover that this Universal Love is abundantly within!

“When enough of us focus our intentions on a better world, a world of cooperation rather than competition, of compassion and forgiveness, rather than hate and avarice, it tips the scales toward a collective renaissance of the best of human nature.” ~ Steven Farmer

It’s when we maintain and nurture these ideals within ourselves along with others that we can be better human beings and co-create a kinder, more loving world. Doing so individually and collectively will counterbalance and ultimately surpass the darkness that exists in the world.

Accompanying article:John Lennon, Where Are You? ~ by Dr. Steven Farmer
Imagine all the people living life in peace. Can you imagine this? Is it hard to do? Or do you scoff and think that it’s just the vision of a crazy idealistic dreamer who was preoccupied with love and peace, spouting notions that are naïve and simplistic?

“If you’re able to be yourself, then you have no competition. All you have to do is get closer and closer to that essence.” ~ Barbara Cook

Human nature is survival of the fittest, motivation by fear, illustrated by western culture where winning is the highest virtue (nationalism, capitalism, competitive sports). It’s about action towards possession, separate from others. Enlightened consciousness is about being motivated by love, sharing, cooperation... where compassion is the highest virtue. It’s about oneness in being. We’re human animals and human souls, so there’s certainly a place for both, but best that we remain conscious of these differences.

Accompanying article:Happiness May Be As Simple As This ~ by Joyce Shafer
If we’re angry, upset, discontent, bored, or frustrated, we’re allowing ego to run the show. The primary cause of much, most, or all of our unhappiness is this demanding ego aspect. Once you understand what this means, you can do something about it, starting today.

“This is the world where the artist finds all his dreams come true, where the painter and the poet realise their ambition, where genius has full power of expression, where the repressions of earth are swept away and all gifts and talents are used in the service of one another... You have not tasted the joys of the world of spirit. There is nothing in your world of matter with which you can compare the life of the spirit, freed from the trammels of the flesh, escaped from the prison of the body of matter, with liberty to go where you will, to see your thoughts take shape, to follow out the desires of your heart, to be freed from the troubles of money.” ~ Silver Birch

What happens when you die? Silver Birch presented powerful, positive messages directly from the afterlife dimension. His books are included in the World of Inspiration eLibrary. And lots of good info and videos are on Trans4mind in the section, Proof of Life After Death. The place he speaks of is our spiritual home, where love rules - compared to life on Earth here, where fear tends to rule. But it doesn’t have to, and our awakening is achieved by shining the light of love - our true nature - on our fears, so they are no longer our motivation.

“It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends on his not understanding it.” ~ Upton Sinclair

Victor Zammit explains the position of many working in academically conservative areas... “A number of scientists I came across during these last 24 years of afterlife research tell me that to survive in their careers they have to deny the validity of the paranormal in public - even though in private they know that it is real. One very important scientist told me that he regularly makes contact with his crossed-over wife and a council of scientists working on the other side, but he cannot tell anyone where he is getting his ideas from.” I highly recommend Victor’s newsletter Friday Afterlife Report, full of the latest news and evidence.

We return to the physical world for a reason... this is where we learn and explore, with many life challenges to overcome. Personal growth is better done here than the more etheric world. But there we find our true selves quite easily. The challenge most needed in our time is to begin finding our true selves here and now, to start to make this world more like that afterlife.

Accompanying article:Does Darwin’s Theory of Evolution Explain How Life Came to Be? ~ by Richard Presser
Put simply, if you want people to believe they came forth from primordial slime, lived in caves 10,000 years ago, are alone in the cosmos and there will be nothing left of you when you die, then you need a theory like Darwin’s to explain how we got here. Pure and simple. And the evidence is abundant that a lie that is widely promoted and powerfully supported will be believed.

“It is circumstances that show what you are. Therefore when a difficulty falls upon you, remember that God, like a trainer of wrestlers, has matched you with a rough young man. For what purpose? you may say. Why, that you may become an Olympic conqueror; but it is not accomplished without sweat.” ~ Epictetus

If life’s too easy, really what is its purpose? Challenges are the spice of life.”

Accompanying article:7 Strategies for a Lasting Positive Attitude ~ by Dr. Alan Zimmerman
It will be very difficult - if not impossible - to have a happy and productive life and career if you’re saddled with a negative attitude. If that sounds like you, don’t lose heart. You CAN change your attitude once and for all. Let’s get started on your attitude transformation right now.

“It is impossible that happiness, and yearning for what is not present, should ever be united.” ~ Epictetus

You can never be happy if you are longing for something you do not have. Accept and allow, the keys to peace of mind. Still have desires and goals, of course, but resisting what IS just gets in the way. As Jules Evans says, “The angry person is acutely sensitive to all they are owed by the world, and blind to all they have received.”

Gratitude is key, and faith. Faith is different from hoping, which leaves you in a state of waiting, to fill a need. Rather, it is simply knowing. And it is based on acceptance or non-resistance of the present.

Accompanying article:The Five Ingredients Of Peace ~ by Allison Manswell
Peace is the elusive “it” that everyone wants. Most of us don’t know what it is -- much less how to find it. Oddly enough, the opposite of peace is not necessarily chaos. Chaos is easily identified. However, it’s the status quo that’s challenging -- the safe place where nothing changes but you. Identifying the stagnant places in your life is harder to detect because we fill emptiness with stuff before we realize it was ever empty.

“For Aristotle, friendship in its highest form has a political or civic dimension. We love our friends not just because we like each other or are useful to each other, but because we share the same values and ideals for our society, and come together to advance those ideals.” ~ Jules Evans

In his book, Philosophy for Life: And Other Dangerous Situations, Jules Evans criticizes the idea that you can ‘prove’ scientifically the validity of a certain model of the good life, so there’s no longer any need for people to debate it or consent to it. This is at the cost of practical reasoning, personal freedom and choice. A model of the good life that leaves out moral judgement, ethical debate and free choice - all of which are fairly crucial aspects of human flourishing - is essentially flawed. Beware of those who tell us how to live, who reckon they know better than we do how to live our lives.

Accompanying article:Awakening to Values, Intentions, and Destiny ~ by Mick Quinn
Conditioned values are sufficient for a successful material life; however, they cannot guide your intention to be free. The core of the issue is that, although our intentions are good, the way in which we use our values to direct those intentions is subject to both individual and collective conditioning; hence, the purest objectives can be misdirected by ego, and we end up essentially back at the beginning where we started.

“Your intuition feels right from the get-go. If you have to think about it too much it’s not your intuition.” ~ Angela Artemis

And as Karl Jung said, “Intuition is not contrary to reason, but outside the province of reason.”

Accompanying article:Intuition is Intelligence for Your Life ~ by Angela Artemis
Developing your intuition enhances your life by providing you with more information than meets the eye in every situation. You will successfully discover your true calling in life, your right mate, your true friends and whom to avoid, the right business venture, the right time to move forward with something and when to wait, and on and on and on.

“Faith is a passionate intuition.” ~ William Wordsworth

And as Kahlil Gibran said, “Faith is an oasis in the heart which can never be reached by the caravan of thinking.”

Accompanying article:Stories of Intuition Solving a Problem ~ by Angela Artemis
When we listen to our intuition we are guided to the solutions we need to solve life’s many challenges. We are connected to the source of all intelligence in the Universe. All answers are available to us if we will only listen. The technology for conveying this information to us is our intuition. Let your intuition shine a light on your problems.

“Our intuitive thinking process sends us nuggets of wisdom that we ignore in favor of adding all kinds of non-essential thoughts to the mix, causing errors in our judgment.” ~ Angela Artemis

Trouble is, intuition often isn’t in verbal sentences, it arrives in feelings, images, concepts and understandings - and we need to separate those from the other mental content. We “just know” our inner truth, and it’s this heart-felt nature that is the best guide. There’s a simple elegance in this, as Angela describes...

Accompanying article:The Simple Elegance of Intuitive Decision Making ~ by Angela Artemis
The next time you hear that ‘little voice’ when you are about to make a decision make sure you’re not tuning out your intuition. The intuitive mind always comes up with the simple and elegant solutions to whatever you are facing. Strip away all the rationalizations and focus on how the situation makes you feel.

“Meditation is listening to the Divine within.” ~ Edgar Cayce

We’re a combination of the human animal, a highly advanced body-mind, and an incarnate soul, connected to its Higher Self, a resource of tremendous knowing. Often the soul is out of the picture in our consciousness, but we can become more mindful and aware of this dimension of our being, and meditation is one of the best methods to achieve this spiritual growth.

Accompanying article:Daily Short Meditations Packs a Big Punch ~ by Angela Artemis
Listening to guided meditations is a bit like using training wheels to learn how to ride a bicycle. You use the training wheels until you have improved balancing on your own and then you can remove them. When you listen to a guided meditation your mind is engaged in following the narrator’s directions and when your mind is absorbed in listening, your own rate of thinking distracting thoughts ceases. And, prolonged and cumulative time spent in relaxation is the key that triggers the benefits of meditation.

“Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it.” ~ Buddha

In other words, make your own mind up. Be sensible and sensitive... be objective and use reason and logic, but beware fixed ideas, prejudices and false assumptions carried over from past experience and conditioning. At the same time take account of your feelings and intuition, as inner knowing is your mind’s link to Spirit.

Accompanying article:The Neural Networks of Emotion and Logic ~ by Charlie Badenhop
When people are feeling stuck and unable to change, they either get overwhelmed by their emotions, and inhibit their capacity to be analytical and act logically, or they are overly analytical and cannot tap into the emotions that would lead to a heartfelt decision. When people feel challenged they tend to either make goals for themselves that do not take their emotions into account, or vice versa.

“The way is not in the sky. The way is in the heart.” ~ Buddha

We determine our path, it’s not imposed on us, if we awaken and have faith in our inner knowing.

Accompanying article:Your Heart Is the Source of All of Your Dreams ~ by Elana Peled
Years of study have taught me why it is so hard for so many people to pursue the lives of their dreams. I have also discovered that understanding a few basic principles about how humans are wired can help anyone to achieve their goals and fulfill their dreams...

“A generous heart, kind speech, and a life of service and compassion are the things which renew humanity.” ~ Buddha

If we do our best to live with such values, and teach them to our children by example, anything is possible for this world.

Accompanying article:Lifestyle: Examining Your Habits ~ by Raymond Phelan
You must ask yourself, “Are my social activities and my lifestyle a re-enactment of unconscious programming, an automated mental image loop, replaying reactive patterns of addiction conditioning? Do I really have full, conscious freedom of choice in all areas of my life?”

“Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.” ~ Buddha

The light within us is a bottomless well of love, because it is our very nature, our connection to Source.

Accompanying article:Natural Happiness ~ by Raymond Phelan
“Happiness” through the non-purified senses and nervous system is ultimately the cause of most suffering. It’s the starting point of most addiction. Dependence on outer-sourced happiness, whether through possessions or substances, becomes a source of sorrow should these possessions or substances be lost either physically or to the senses or nervous system; it’s either anguish or withdrawal symptoms. This is why experiencing “nature happiness” - natural contentment of mind - is so vital.

“No matter how hard the past, you can always begin again.” ~ Buddha

And it’s not the same thing, because you’ll be much the wiser for those tough experiences and more likely to succeed.

Accompanying article:You Are The Only One Who Can Change the World ~ by John Earle
You are going to change the world. You will do it alone, on your own, and no one will directly know you are doing it. Sounds a bit like Mission Impossible doesn’t it? But here is the good news: it isn’t impossible. You can do it, and the simple instructions which follow will not be destroyed in a poof of smoke after you have finished reading this. You will remember them.

“A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write, if he is to be ultimately at peace with himself. What a man can be, he must be.” ~ Abraham Maslow

Equally, a teacher must teach, a leader must lead, a seeker must seek, a healer must heal, and so on... all the life purposes, general and specific, that each of us are uniquely drawn to. If we don’t, we’ll be frustrated, as if our life hasn’t really begun, trapped in the starting pen.

Accompanying article:Why it’s So Hard to Find Your Life’s Purpose ~ by Douglas LaBier
Over the decades I’ve heard many men and women -- whether they’re psychotherapy patients working to build healthier lives or business executive trying to create healthier leadership -- say at some point that they don’t know what they’re really here for, on this planet. They’re not necessarily religious or spiritually inclined, but they feel a longing for that “certain something” that defines and integrates their lives.

“Keep me away from the wisdom which does not cry, the philosophy which does not laugh and the greatness which does not bow before children.” ~ Khalil Gibran

Intellect without humor, feeling, spontaneity and humility is out of touch and of little value.

Accompanying article:Are You Thinking Too Much? ~ by Rick Hanson
Thoughts have been swirling around like a sandstorm about work for me lately, things I’ve been reading, household tasks, finances, concerns about people, a yard that needs mowing, loose ends, projects, etc. etc. The other day I told my wife: “I’m thinking about too many things.” Know the feeling?

“A human being is a part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feeling as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.” ~ Albert Einstein

Accompanying article:The Purpose of Your Life ~ by Jafree Ozwald
The soul purpose of your life is to love. To love yourself and others so fully, so furiously, that you become completely overflowing with immense joy and lightness. When your heart is bursting with love everyday you will truly be fulfilled. When your love for another is so immense, so passionate, so compassionate, you won’t have time to worry about your own problems and life.

“Pissing people off doesn’t mean you’re doing the right things, but doing the right things will almost inevitably piss people off.” ~ Colin Powell

You have to do what you feel is right, based on your heartfelt values. Others may not agree but pleasing one and all is not the point. If it’s a question of protecting your integrity, that has to come before ingratiating people who may be inconvenienced.

Accompanying article:Drop the “Shoulds” ~ by Rick Hanson
When we face reality in all its messy streaming complexity, we see that it exists independent of our rules, always wiggling free of the abstractions we try to impose upon it. This recognition of truth pulls you out of conceptualizing into direct experiencing, into being with “the thing-in-itself.” Which feels clear, peaceful, and free.

“If you bring forth what is inside you, what you bring forth will save you. If you don’t bring forth what is inside you, what you don’t bring forth will destroy you.” ~ Jesus Christ (Book of Thomas)

Most of us are aware that there is something within us that is not being fully expressed. We don’t always know what it is consciously, but we know that there is more than what we are experiencing or have experienced. It is our unfelt suffering, our inner knowing, our true purpose, our unexpressed love... and to ignore that real self is in effect to die, at least until we awaken.

Accompanying article:Gain Clarity on Your Passion in 15 Minutes or Less ~ by Barrie Davenport
We have years of conditioning, limiting beliefs, emotional roadblocks, and perceived expectations that further confuse us and shroud our vision of what we really truly want for ourselves. We think we should follow a certain path, take a particular job, marry a particular person, live a specific lifestyle - but we wake up one day and it feels all wrong. The life is being sucked out of us, and we can’t fathom why.

“The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled.” ~ Plutarch

An educational system isn’t worth a great deal if it teaches young people how to make a living but doesn’t teach them how to make a life.

“We spend the first twelve months of our children’s lives teaching them to walk and talk and the next twelve telling them to sit down and shut up.” ~ Phyllis Diller

Children expect us to be what we say to them, to walk the talk. Eknath Easwaran said, “Those who have children can become masters of patience, endurance and steadfastness, because children will test you at every turn. The way to make our children patient and loving is to be that way ourselves, to set a good example.”

Accompanying article:Disrespectful Kids: 9 Ways to Change Their Attitude ~ by Janet Lehman, MSW
We often forget that children aren’t born with a built-in sense of respect for others. While each child has a different personality, all children need to be taught to be respectful. From birth, kids learn to manipulate their world to get their needs met - this is natural. But it’s our job as parents to teach them respectful ways of doing this.

“Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
and though they are with you, yet they belong not to you.
You may give them your love, but not your thoughts.
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
for their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward, nor tarries with yesterday.” ~ Kahlil Gibran

The child is an independent being, not only a genetic progeny. If the newly incarnated soul is recognized as such and supported by love, it will be more able to mindfully accomplish the purposes for which it joined the family.

Accompanying article:Build Your Child’s Self-Esteem ~ by Janet Lehman, MSW
Something I’ve learned as a therapist and a mom is that you cannot ‘fix’ your child’s self-esteem as a parent - though many of us make ourselves crazy trying to do just that. It’s hard to see our kids acting out and giving up because of insecurities, so we wrack our brains trying to find ways to motivate them and make them feel better. Unfortunately, self-esteem just doesn’t work that way.

“At the end of your life, you will never regret not having passed one more test, not winning one more verdict, or not closing one more deal. You will regret time not spent with a husband, a friend, a child, or a parent.” ~ Barbara Bush

It’s our loved ones that matter most in the world, so it’s such a shame if we focus exclusively on work and neglect our home, especially if that is done to avoid taking responsibility for relationship problems within the family.

“I had no idea that mothering my own child would be so healing to my own sadness from my childhood.” ~ Susie Bright

When we finally have children of our own, we get to experience the problems involved in parenting, and how the child cannot perceive the responsibilities we have from our own point of view. What may seem to the child to be unfair or even cruel, we recognize to be in the child’s best interest. I absolutely hated to go to school, I’d much rather have stayed at home, but whatever the weaknesses of the education I received, it was far better than none and now I am grateful that my parents insisted. Of course; but I didn’t see it that way then.

Accompanying article:Child Hates School? The 5 Best Ways to Respond ~ by Sara Bean, M.Ed.
Parents of kids who hate school end up frustrated, exhausted, and grasping at straws. The key is to meet the problem head-on and focus on solutions that will resolve the issue in the long term, which includes teaching your child how to be a better problem-solver with a healthier outlook on their responsibilities.